The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album

c. 1890

Eastern India, Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat

Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Secondary Support: 48.5 x 29.9 cm (19 1/8 x 11 3/4 in.); Painting only: 45.5 x 28 cm (17 15/16 x 11 in.)
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward 2003.114.a
Location: Not on view

Description

In this image taken from both popular accounts and the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna has stolen the clothes of cowgirls (gopis) who are bathing in the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges River. He refuses to return their clothes, the purple saris seen hanging high in the tree, until they come out and bow to him with folded palms. Krishna, a cowherder, is holding a flute, which he uses to lure them away.
  • ?–2003
    William E. Ward [1922–2004], Solon, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2003–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Indian Kalighat Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-September 18, 2011).
  • {{cite web|title=Krishna Steals the Clothes of the Cowgirls (Gopis) (recto), from a Kalighat album|url=false|author=|year=c. 1890|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.114.a